How Bad Will It Get in Israel? We May Know on Monday

World braces for retaliatory attacks by Iran and Hezbollah amid fears of a wider war
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 5, 2024 7:44 AM CDT
How Bad Will It Get in Israel? We May Know on Monday
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024.   (Naama Grynbaum/Pool Photo via AP)

The world may get an answer soon—perhaps as early as Monday—on whether a wider war in the Mideast is upon us.

  • Retaliation: Secretary of State Blinken warned his counterparts from allied nations that Iran and Hezbollah are expected to launch attacks against Israel in the next day or two, and perhaps as early as Monday, reports Axios. The attacks are in response to Israel's killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and of Hezbollah commander Faud Shukur in Beirut.

  • How bad? The question is how aggressive the response will be and whether Israel's air defenses will be able to fend off a strong dual attack. Israel is bracing for a "serious escalation" in warfare amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts to prevent an all-out regional conflict, reports Reuters. Notably, Jordan Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi made a rare trip to Iran on Sunday on that front.
  • Travelers stuck: Multiple international airlines, including Delta and United, have suspended flights to and from Israel, reports the New York Times. The move has left "tens of thousands" of Israelis unable to return home from trips abroad. Elsewhere, the US and other Western nations have urged citizens in Lebanon to leave as soon as possible, but seats were hard to come by amid escalating flight cancelations.
(More Iran stories.)

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